Oklahoma City Thunder Will Play 8 Games on Free Broadcast Channels This Season

Another NBA team whose games are broadcast by a Bally Sports channel is getting the chance to air some of its contests outside of the traditional pay-TV bundle. The Oklahoma City Thunder have announced that they will play a small selection of games on free over-the-air (OTA) channels this season, beginning with the Friday, Jan. 26 contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.

• A total of eight Thunder games will be offered on OTA channels between now and the end of the 2023-24 season.
• The Thunder join the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs as teams who have decided to play a small slate on broadcast TV.
• There’s a good chance many live TV streaming customers won’t have access to the channels the Thunder will play on.

Which Thunder Games Will Be Available For Free?

The Thunder have announced they’ll play eight games on free OTA channels between now and the end of the season. Highlights of the schedule include a matchup against the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on March 8, the Phoenix Suns on March 29, and the Milwaukee Bucks on April 12. Each game will be on a Friday night, allowing for a maximum potential audience.

“This is a tremendous opportunity from the NBA and Bally Sports that allows us to increase our fans’ ability to watch Friday games free and over the air this season, said Thunder VP of broadcasting Dan Mahoney. “How and where games are shown next season and beyond remains uncertain, but for now we are pleased to have this chance to expand our reach.”

The Thunder have the flexibility to offer eight games on free broadcast channels because of the league’s current deal with its Bally Sports broadcast partners. All 15 NBA teams currently on a Bally Sports channel are allowed to play up to 10 games on OTA channels as part of the agreement, which was struck in early November. The San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks have all taken advantage of the opportunity, just as the Thunder have.

Check out the full schedule of Thunder games airing on broadcast local channels this season:

Will Live TV Streaming Customers Be Able to Watch Thunder Games on Broadcast Channels?

Currently, there are four live TV streaming services that offer local broadcast channels in a big swath of media markets: DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. Unfortunately, these customers may have a bit of trouble watching Thunder Friday Nights going forward this season.

Check out which live streamers in Oklahoma City will air the Thunder games:

Free Thunder games will be played on KSBI (MyNetworkTV) in Oklahoma City; KOAM (CBS) and KFJX (Fox) in the Joplin, Missouri and Pittsburgh, Kansas market; KSWO (ABC) in Wichita Falls and Lawton, Kansas; and KSCW (The CW in Wichita, Kansas. Unfortunately, the announcement from the Thunder does not specify whether games will play on main channels or digital subchannels, most of which are not carried by live TV services. All four streamers listed above carry KOTV and KSWO in their relevant markets, but no subchannels associated with those networks, and no provider carries KSBI or KSCW at all.

Having covered the streaming industry for seven years, it is The Streamable’s expert opinion that if you live in the OKC media market that Fubo is your best live streaming option. The sports-focused streamer is the only one that provides access to both Bally Sports Oklahoma — which still carries the bulk of the Thunder’s games — KSBI, where the Friday night games will be available in-market.

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Fubo is a live TV streaming service with about 90 top channels that start at $79.99 per month. This plan includes local channels, 19 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs). In total, you should expect to pay about $94.99 per month, after adding in their RSN Fee. Fubo was previously known as “fuboTV.”

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The streaming service does not carry channels from WarnerMedia-owned (CNN, TBS, and TNT), A+E (A&E, History Channel, and Lifetime), and AMC Networks (AMC, BBC America, and WE tv). So, in our experience, if you are looking to watch the NBA, which heavily plays on TBS and TNT, you may want to look at another live TV streaming provider.

But for other sports fans, especially those who want to stream local sports, Fubo is a great option in our opinion. They recently announced adding Bally Sports RSNs to their channel lineup and it is the least expensive option to get RSNs in many markets like Altitude, AT&T Sports, Fox Sports, Marquee, MSG, NBC Sports, and NESN. (Take a look at the full list of Fubo’s sports channels.)

Fubo also includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NFL RedZone , NHL Network, and beIN Sports (which is not available on most services). You can add Fox Soccer Plus as part of the International Sports Plus add-on for $6/month.

You can add the fubo Extra ($8) to add ~37 channels including GSN.

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What Free Options Are There to Watch the Oklahoma City Thunder Games on Broadcast Channels?

If your streaming service of choice does not carry the channels the Thunder games airing on OTA channels, then there is always the old-fashioned way to watch — an antenna. The good news is that an over-the-air antenna is a solid investment, especially since it is a single, one-time purchase price — unlike pay-TV subscriptions — and guarantees viewers access to all of their local channels, including digital networks and subchannels.

The Streamable recommends these two antennas for watching the Thunder, other NBA teams with games on local channels, and for getting any local channels without having to subscribe to a streaming service.